David Wright’s career could be coming to a close as he has just suffered a shoulder impingement that will set him back a few weeks for this upcoming 2017 season.

For the past two years, Wright has played in 75 games out of 324 and just 16% of the Met’s total games since he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2015. Between these two years, Wright totaled 75 hits, 15 doubles, 12 home runs, and 31 RBIs in 289 at-bats. He also had a batting average of .257 for those two years- a significant drop from his career average of .296. There is no question that Wright’s game has started to decline.

His most recent injury is a major concern for the organization as Wright is now 34 years old and has had such a terrible history with injuries. The injury came during his rehabilitation process for a herniated disk in his neck that he had surgery on this past June.

Over the course of his career, even with his numbers decreasing in virtually every category over the past few years, Wright has a batting average of .296, he is just shy of 1000 RBIs with 970, 242 career home runs, and a .376 OBP (on-base percentage). Some sports analysts would argue that these numbers are enough to put Wright into the MLB Hall of Fame. Basically, the decision to make him a Hall of Fame member could go either way. During the height of Wright’s career, he was consistently one of the top rated player at his position, making the all-star game seven times. However, his success was short lived and his career has been cut short by many injuries. Voters may penalize him because of his inability to stay on the field, However, he will certainly be remembered as a Mets’ legend.

The Mets have other options that they could pursue for the third base position such as Jose Reyes, Wilmer Flores, and even making a trade for Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox.

Of course, if David is in a healthy condition again and can play up to his potential, the Mets would keep him in a heartbeat. However, at this point, Wright being anywhere close to 100% is impossible due to the wear and tear on his body, so the Mets should definitely keep their options open.

He is the captain, the face of the organization, and has been a clutch and key player throughout the course of his career. New York desperately missed their leader this past year, as they went from a World Series caliber team to a team that struggled for the most part of the season and lost in the wildcard game of the 2016 playoffs. Wright’s presence in the locker room during the 2015 season is one of the many reasons the team ended up in the World Series. Terry Collins, the manager of the NY Mets, said on David’s behalf, “I will tell you guys something: This kid is a team player. He’s already voiced to me in early spring that he knows he’s got to produce.” He told Collins,  “Don’t worry about where I can hit in the lineup. If I can hit, I’ll play or hit anywhere.” Collins went on to say that “[Wright] came in the other day and said, ‘I think I need to get a first baseman’s glove.’ That’s the kind of guy he is. That’s why we need him. That’s why we need him in our clubhouse and on our bench and on our team. His presence and his professionalism is hard to find.”

The respect that the Met’s organization has for David shows how fond they are of him, and how much they would like him to return to play.